Method of producing carbon monoxid from carbon dioxid.



APPLICATEON FILED JUNE 29. 1915.

Patented. Dec. 14, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I H M X [mm g 0W 1 m w Wfl 6 m 15 1 2 K c. B. HILLHOUSE. METHOD OF PRODUCING CARBON MONOXID FROM ARBON-mom. APPLICATION 11.20 JUNE 29. i915. Patented Dec. 14, 1915.

' 3 SHEETS"SNEET 2.

[IX] E171] i 26 Z5 r1 f '1 xi o i I 9 QD; o

I? r I 17' Q 4 1 0 O I 0 I I Q 6" names: r v anbe'M/lfoi c'. Bf H'fLLHOUSE. METHOD OF PRODUCING CARBON MQNOXID FROM CARBOPJ DlOXlD.

APPLICATION FILED JUN E29 1915.

Wi/IZ 1400mm:

CHARLES B. HILLHOUSE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

METHOD OF PRODUCING CARBON MONOXID FROM CARBON DIOXID."

' To. all whom it"may concern:

" .Beit known that I, CHARLES B. HILL- HOUSE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in the borough of Manliattamcity, county, and State of New York, have invented a certaln new and useful Method of Producing Carbon Monoxid from Carbon Dioxid, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the production of carbon monoxid tCO) gas and the controlling method embraces mixing powdered 'carbonand carbon dioxid (CO gas under sufficiently high temperature to cause a carbon molecule to combine with one of the oxygen elements of the C0,, resulting in "200. This method of converting "CO, by

carbon was broadly set forth in an application for Letters Patent filed by me July 3,

1913 under Serial Number 777,143 and was somewhat elaborated in the process and apparatus for treating ores forming the subject of an application for Letters Patent filed by meAugust 4, 191a under Serial No.

856,727. This method isadapted to the treatment of pure, or substantially pure,

" CO gas such as is obtained from limestone or as passes from ore reduction chambers, as

for instance those of the apparatus of my before .mentioned applications, and mixtures of CO with other gases, of which one may be nitrogen where carbon or carbonaceous'material 1S burnt, such as the gases of combustion from boilers, smelting and other industrial furnaces. The quantity, of powdered carbon mixed with the CO gas or and CO beforethey reach their usual outlet, this process can be so adapted as to prevent the CO gas present from uselessly burning to CO in the throat of the chimney as is usually the case, thereby adding to the percentageof CO gas produced without expenditure of additional heat. It is done by excluding the usual down currents of air in an outlet or chimney in connection with my process. The heat may be derived from an electric furnace, as in my application for Patent, Ser. No. 777 ,143 or from surface combustion furnaces, as in my application Specification of Letters Patent.

Ser. No. 856 727 or from burnin 'as fuel a part of the CO gas generated in the reaction chamber, duly muffled, or from burning pulverized coal in a suitable combustion furnace duly mufiied. It may also be partly supplied from the sensible heat of the CO,

gas which emerges from reduction furnaces,

der pressure, and this spraying action may partake of a. swirling character to fully in sure a thorough admixture of the CO and powdered carbon, or be sprayed. by discharge from the container under centrifugal force or other means; or, the powdered carbon may be injected into quiescent CO gas in the reaction chamber. The reaction chamber may be heated by gases, pulverized coal, surface combustion, electricity or any means capable of producing and maintaining sufficiently high temperature to bring about the desired conversion. The mixture of powdered carbon and CO gas may be caused to flow through the heat zone of the reaction chamber in helical, up or down, or any suitable direction. lVaste material in the powdered carbon or slag formed thereby may be discharged from the bottom of the heat zone of the reaction chamber.

As there is in all commercial carbon more or less residue on ash or what will form a slag under high temperatures, it is proposed to mix with the powdered carbon an amount of flux adequate to produce a readily fusible slag, the flux combining with the ash causing it to fuse at a lower temperature and, so saving to 'a considerable extent in the applied heat. The quantity of flux supplied to the powdered carbon will vary with the amount and character of residue or waste, but whatever the source of the carbon may be only'sufiicient flux will be used to satisfy the slag to make it easily fusible and flow freely. i

The reclamation of CO from CO gas heretofore has been accomplishedby passing the CO gasover or through a mass of Patented Dec. 14, 1915.

Application filed June 29, 1915. Serial No. 36,949.

carbon (coke,.-- coal or charcoal), the gas,

carbon or both being adequately heated. In

such processes large masses of carbon are used and maintained at high temperature to produce any considerable supply of CO gas because of the size of the lumps of carbon necessary to alford passage for the CO gas through the mass of carbon, the surface areas of the lumps of carbon being comparativelysmall relative .to such mass.

By the practice of the method of my pres- .action with the CO gas, the carbon being quickly consumed and the process of producing CO may be continuous and large quantities of CO gas may be produced ina comparatively cheap and v small apparatus.

A suitable structure therefor is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a reaction chamber: Fig. 2, a horizontal .section taken at the" lower part thereof: Fig.

3, a horizontal section on line 3, 3,. Fig. 1:

,Fig, 4, a vertical section of the lower part of 'the structureat right angles to that shown in Fig. 1: and Fig. 5 shows amod'ificationin the. floor of thepassage at the bottom of the heat zone.

The reaction device illustrated is a cylindrical structure havingan outer wall 10, a

dome-11, an inner wall 12- inclosing a central chamber 13, the conical roof 14 off 375 which is partly supported by'a central column 15. The heat zone 16 and. combustion chamber 17 are contained between the outer and inner walls and 12 and are separated by a partition 18. of highly refractory material' as ca'rborundum, brick ortiles. This partition also divides an annular passage located near the lower end of the device,-

into'two parts, part 19 being below the heat 'zone 16 and part 20 below the combustion chamber 17. The lower edge of said partition 18 which may be of other material than carborundum, extends into a trough 21 and co-acts therewith as a trap seal between the heat zone and combustion chambers by said trough .being filled with fluidslag, a residue of the fuel burnt in the combustion chamber to heat the heat zone to a high temperature through the refractory partition 18.

' The CO gas to be reduced to 00, whether it be substantially pure or mixed with other gases as before suggested, enters the. part 19 of. the annular-passage beneath the heat I zone 16 by the conduit 22, and in its passage thereto mixes with a stream of powdered carbon, to be thoroughly intermingled there- "with, issuing from nozzles 23, which are so arranged as to direct the streams of powdered carbon in opposite directions around the passage 19, from this passage the mixed carbon and CO gas pass upwardly nt invention the carbon in powdered form affords enormous active surface of each pars ticleof carbon compared with its bulk for.

through the heat-zone 16, and to'insure a better ascension through the {heat zone the passage is inclined in both directions from the point where the gas and carbon enter I to a point diametrically opposite thereto, as seen'in Fig. 4.

The fpowdered carbon is fed from a hop per24 by a screw 25 to thenozzles 23- which extend from the end of a pipei26 in which the screw works, and at this end .of pipe 26:

is a pipe 27 in communication with the nozzles and with 'a source of compressed gas (which alsomay be sprayed in by centrifugal for ce') wherebythe powdered carbon is sprayed into. the infiowing CO gas, being 'fed in definite quantity from the hopper 24. by the screw 25. The gasfor spraying thecarbon may beofan inert character or be.

CO or a mixture of gases. The nozzles 23 may be adapted to impart a swirling action to the sprays of carbon. A conical roof 28 extends from the upper partof the carborundum partition 18-toward the center of the device where it terminates in flue 29 for the exit of the gaseous products of combustion of the heating fuel. The CO gas resulting from the action of the powdered carbon on the CO gas passes from the chamber between the dome ll and roof 28 In the heat zone 16 narrow shelves .31 extend from the wall 10 to within short distances from-the refractory partition 18, and

these shelves are preferably inclined c'ir'cum-j ferentially or helically arranged, so that the 'CO andcarbon are-caused to'flow in contact 'with the partition 18, or in close proximity thereto and at'the same time caused to flow upwardly in helical direction so they are adequately heated to bring about the conversion aimed at. I

32 indicates pipes, nozzles or other suitable fuel supplying means. Said fuel may be of a gaseous character, as CO and air, the CO-being a portion of that producedin the heat zone, or may be pulverized coal sprayed byair, or mixtures thereof. 'The residue of fuel if any'will fall as fused slag into trough 21, .be maintained inafused elevating conveyer 37, extending upwardlyin' alateral passage from the well 34 and above the level of the water contained there'- in. The bottom of passage 19 may consistmesses oi a circular traveling plate 38 driven by suitable gearing 39. This will prevent ac cumulation of such carbon in one place as may fall from the nozzles 23. The heat zone is comparatively narrow,- its width being such as to insure a maximum efiective temperature in the most economical manner, and this width will be maintained in all of the sizes that the reacti'onchamber may be built. This applies also to thecombustion zone. The combustion zone" may be constructed so as to be on the outsideor on the inside of the heat or reaction zone, but always duly mu-filed.

This process is preferably carried out in an apparatus from which air is excluded, for if nitrogenbe present in the CO gas produced it may have an injurious effect in some operations inw hich said 00 is used,

asgfor' instance in reducing iron ore for steel making, so as" to exclude or to reduce the quantity of nltrogen 1n the resultant carbon -monoxid gas (CO) to a minimum the carbon used in thereduction of the carbon dioxid (CO may be stored and pulverized in an atmosphere of carbon dioxid gas This may be obtained from the source of CO or elsewhere.

I claim: a

l. The method of producing carbon monoxid (CO) from carbon dioxid (CO which consists in mixing powdered carbon with the CO and then heating the mixture to a reducing temperature.

2. The method of producing carbon monoxid (CO) from carbon dioxid (CO which consists in mixing powdered carbon diffused and under motion with the CO and then. heating the mixture to a reducing temperature.

3. The method of producing COfrom C6 which consists in spraying powdered carbon by means of a gas under pressure into a stream of CO and heating the mixture to'a reducing temperature.

a. The method of producing CO from CO which consists in spraying powdered carbon under swirling motion; by means of a gas under pressure into a stream of CO and heating the mixture to a reducing temperature.

5. The method of producing carbon m0- noxid (CO) from carbon dioxid (CO. intermingled with other/gases which consists in mixing powdered/carbon with the gases including the CO and then heating the n'iixture to a reducing temperature.

6. The method of producing CO from CO which consists in spraying powdered carbon by means of a gasunder pressure into a heated stream of gases including CO and heating the mixture to a reducing temperature.

7. The method of producing carbon monoxid (CO) from carbon dioxid (CO which consists in mixing powdered carbon with the CO said mixture being caused to flow through a heat zone of sufiicient intensity to raise it to a reducing temperature.

8. The method of producing carbon monoxid (CO) from carbon dioxid (CO which consists in mixing powdered carbon with the CO said mixture being caused to flow in helical direction through a heat zone of suflicient intensity to raise it to a reducing temperature.

9. The method of producing carbon mo-' noxid (CO) from carbon dioxid (CO which consists in mixing powdered carbon and flux with the CO and then heating the mixture to a reducing temperature.

10. The method of producing carbon monoxid (CO) from carbon dioxid (CO which consists in mixing powdered carbon with the CO preheated and then raising the temperature ofthe mixture to bring about the reduction.

11. The method of producing CO from CO which consists in spraying powdered carbon mixed with flux by means of a gas under pressure into a stream of CO and then heating the mixture to a reducing temperature.

12. The method of producing carbon monoxid' (CO) from carbon dioxid (CO which consists in mixing powdered carbon and flux with the CO then heating the mixture toa reducing and slag fusing temperature and allowing the slag to pass by gravity out of the resultant gas.

13. The method of producing carbon monoxid (CO) from carbon dioxid (CO which consists in pulverizing and storing carbon in an atmosphere free of nitrogen, as CO gas, mixing the powdered carbon with CO as in adequate combining proportions and then heating the mixture to a reducing temperature.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

CHARLES E. HILLHOUSE.

'Witnesscs HOWARD G. MILNE, JOHN C. BURKE. 

